The Guide to Everything
by Butterfly Harvester
Summary: It seems William has found a way to explain things to Grell and Ronald.  Unfortunately for him, they want to know everything.
1. Boundaries

_Title: The Guide to Everything_

_Summary: It seems William has found a way to explain things to Grell and Ronald. Unfortunately for him, they want to know everything._

_This goes along with another little fic of mine which involves William explaining things with puppets. However this will be longer, with any question imaginable coming from Grell and Ronald. I do not know how often I will update this, though. I hope to keep it steady but we'll see. Today I've started you off with..._

_Chapter 1: Boundaries_

Grell Sutcliff peered around the corner like he was looking for something. He was, in fact, looking for some_one. _He had not seen William all day and was starting to fear that his beloved Will was avoiding him.

Grell smiled to himself as he noticed the one person coming down the hall that he wanted to see. He laughed to himself before bounding over to William a little less gracefully than he had wanted. As he reached William, who tried to pretend that the death-loving mass of red did not exist, he flung his arms around William in a hug, sending the paperwork William was holding to the floor.

William, arms pinned to his sides by Grell, could only glare first at Grell himself, then at the papers that had fallen to the floor in disarray. Grell, taking the hint, bent down to retrieve William's fallen papers.

"Grell Sutcliff," William began with a sigh, "don't you anything about boundaries?"

Grell gathered the papers he retrieved in a pile, though they were still out of order, and asked, "Bound-a-ries?" He strung out every syllable as though he were trying to wrap his mind around a word he had never heard before.

"Personal space," he snapped, glaring at Grell over his glasses. "Perhaps I should not have used a big word with you."

Grell pouted. Then his eyes lit up as William reached inside his suit jacket for something. His pouting resumed when he saw that William had removed two puppets, a fantastically made William puppet and a Grell puppet that clearly needed a little more love in the creation process.

William shook the William puppet for emphasis as he began to speak. "Personal space, boundaries, or whatever you choose to call it, is the area around a person in which they only feel comfortable with certain people being within it. Those certain people happen to include close friends, family members, or lovers." William half expected Grell to faint at the word "lovers" coming from his mouth. Grell only let out an excited squeak at the word.

"However," William continued, "when a person enters another person's boundaries and they dislike this person -" here the Grell puppet came into play. William made the Grell puppet attempt to cuddle the William puppet before he knocked the Grell puppet away. " – bad things happen."

"What sort of bad things?" Grell demanded. "Will I explode?"

William paused as he put the puppets away. He turned away from Grell and started to walk down the hallway the way he had come before he looked over his shoulder and said, "No, but _I _might."

Grell looked shocked for a moment or two before he started to laugh. "You're such a tease, William~" he called. William did not look back.


	2. Ronald's Hair

_The Guide to Everything_

_I was going to do another Grell question but I was asked for Ronald's puppet so here it is! And yes, I'm willing to do requests. Will comes off as such a big brother in this chapter. Or maybe it's just me._

_Chapter 2: Ronald's Hair_

Ronald was irritated. He stood staring upwards, trying his best to force the cowlick near his bangs to stay down. Nothing he did helped. Usually it did not bother him. Today it did, as a female coworker had called it "cute".

He was not cute! He was attractive, sexy, smoking hot! "Cute" made him feel like he was being treated like a baby brother or something else that was nowhere near a romantic interest.

"Ronald Knox, just what are you doing?"

Ronald quickly turned his attention to William. "Nothing!" he said, just a little too quickly.

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Lunch break," Ronald reminded William. He started to check his watch but stopped himself. Cocking his head to the side, he studied William for a moment. "Senpai, how do you get your hair to stay down?"

William did not answer him immediately. "Why do you ask?" he asked after a moment of silence. Ronald pointed to his sometimes offending cowlick. "Ah." William reached into his pocket and pulled out a Ronald puppet. "It does look right, doesn't it?"

Ronald started at his puppet persona for a moment. There was much more detail on his, including a miniature cowlick. Ronald smirked and said, "So mine _does _look better than Grell's!"

"Why wouldn't it?" William asked. "You haven't done anything to offend me... often."

Ronald continued to smirk. He could hardly wait to tell Grell! Then his smirk faded as he realized William had not answered his question.

Instead of answering him directly, William was playing with the Ronald puppet. He was trying to get the puppet's cowlick to stay down, but it kept springing right back up. "You could slick it back," William began, "but it just won't stay down, will it?"

"No," Ronald mumbled. "I don't like slicking my hair anyway. I just hate that part!" he said, again pointing towards the offending lock.

"But don't people find it cute?" William asked, knowing Ronald loved being complimented by his peers.

"Yes, but "cute" is so... childish." Ronald said, completing his sentence with a very child-like pout.

William nodded his head, and the Ronald puppet's head too. "And don't you often use the excuse you are at the age where you want to be rowdy?"

"Yes..." Ronald said slowly.

"You can't have it both way, Ronald Knox. Now get back to work."

Ronald watched the puppet return to its "home" in William's pocket before he blurted out a final question. "How many puppets do you have?"

"Back to work!" William ordered.


	3. Wednesdays

_The Guide to Everything_

_Been going through my papers since I stupidly wounded myself. I found a few Kuroshitsuji notes that I had wanted to turn into fanfiction. I might work on those later as well. _

_Glad I wasn't the only one who thought Will seemed big brotherly. And I just might have to include Eric and Alan in later chapters. _

_Ironically, I posted this on a Wednesday!_

_Chapter 3: Wednesdays_

"Ow!" Grell hopped around the middle of a hallway, clutching his shin. "What was that for anyway? I haven't done anything wrong... today at least."

William pushed his glasses up with one hand and with the other reached into his pocket. Out came the William puppet, this time clutching a small piece of paper.

"The puppets again?" Grell muttered to himself. "Will, darling, I am way too smart for – oh! He's got a little paper, how cute!"

William made the little puppet like he was reading the paper. "Ah, here, see?" The puppet gestured vaguely to the paper. "On Wednesdays, I must kick Grell Sutcliff. It is, after all, on my schedule."

Grell put his hands on his hips. "Now where on your schedule does it say _that?_" he demanded. The puppet showed him the tiny list. Grell gasped in surprise. "Is that... your actual schedule?"

William quickly returned the puppet to his pocket. "That's not for you to know."

"Stop teasing me William!" Grell demanded.

William ignored that demand. Instead, as he walked past Grell, he paused long enough to kick Grell's unwounded shin.


	4. Why You So Proper?

_The Guide to Everything_

_This chapter came to me at three in the morning the night I was very sick. So if anyone finds it off, then there's your explanation. We will see new puppets soon._

_Chapter 4: Why You So Proper?_

William sat at his desk, his head in his hands. Ronald and Grell sat before him, both trying to look innocent and failing to do it properly. They had been in his office for so long that William had completely forgotten the reason that they were sent to him in the first place.

"Can we go now?" Ronald asked, checking his watch.

:No you may not!" William snapped. He was supposed to punish them for _something, _and they would not be leaving his office without being punished.

"Wi~ill..." Grell began sweetly, wiggling in his seat, "you know we can't be working if we're cooped up in here. _I _don't mind, but you know Ronnie here has the attention span of a mushroom."

Ronald blinked in confusion as William peered at the two of them from between his gloved fingers. "Must you butcher everyone's name?"

"What do you mean?" Grell asked sweetly.

"Perhaps I don't like being called 'Will'. Did you ever think of that?"

Grell leaned back in his chair and grinned. "But you stopped correcting me ages ago! I thought perhaps you were used to it." He then leaned forward, placing his hands on William's desk. With a wink, he added, "You might even be enjoying it."

"Enjoying it?" William hissed. Before Grell could even blink, William was leaning over his desk, bashing Grell over the head with his hand. On that hand rested the not-so-lovely Grell puppet. "Why would I ever enjoy such a thing? Just because you have the manner of a street urchin does not mean the rest of us do!"

"Ow – William that – ouch! Stop! Oh, my face!" Grell whimpered, his arms over his head to protect himself.

"Don't you have any respect for anyone other than yourself?" William ignored Grell's pleas and continued to hit the redhead over the head with his puppet likeness. "If I wanted to be referred to by a shortened form of my first name, don't you think I would have filed the proper paperwork?"

During William's "explanation" of formality and Grell's yelps, Ronald decided the safest place to be would be under William's desk. He popped his head out long enough to make sure William had not grabbed the Ronald puppet to smack him with, then ducked back under the safety of the desk.

" – catch either of you in my office this week, I will make sure you both are demoted as low as you can go! Now _get out_!"

Grell whimpered and dragged himself out of the room, nearly shutting the door on Ronald, who had crawled from the desk the door, hoping William had not seen him.

"Are you OK, senpai?" Ronald asked as he watched Grell rub his swollen and bruised face.

"Ooh..." Grell groaned. "Quiet, Ronald. Leave it to _you _to get _me _in trouble."

Ronald thought it was the other way around, but he decided to say nothing. Grell had been punished enough as it was. Instead, he cleared his throat and asked, "_Do _mushrooms have attention spans?"

Grell only groaned again and headed to the ladies' room in order to see what damage to his beautiful face could be fixed.


	5. Privacy

The Guide to Everything

_This chapter comes to us by suggestion of Sebassy-chan. I had not given privacy any thought and I really loved the idea._

_Chapter 5: Privacy_

"Not here... or here..." Grell stood in William's office, his hands on his hips. William's office was nowhere near its usual neat and tidy state. Grell had not only busted the lock on the door but also several locks on the desk. Papers were scattered across the floor, the contents of the desk drawers were scattered over the top, and a dark stain of ink was blossoming on the carpet.

"Where is it?" Grell asked aloud, a small part of him hoping the office would answer his question.

Grell yelped as the doorknob rattled but there was no place to hide. He leaned against the desk, posing himself to look both innocent and sexy. William ignored the pose as he entered his office. He did not speak at first, instead shutting his eyes and exhaling slowly in an attempt to calm his temper.

"What were you doing?" he asked, his voice icy and calm.

"Looking for your puppets," Grell replied, brushing a lock of hair out of his face. He grinned to himself as William's hand went instantly to his pocket.

"Why?" William demanded coldly. 

"Well I wanted to see _my _puppet and – "

"Grell Sutcliff, do you not respect privacy?" William asked, taking in his emptied desk drawers.

Grell scoffed and said, "First it's boundaries, now it's privacy. Can you make up your mind, Will?"

William pulled out the William puppet again and used it to poke Grell's chest. "There is a different between privacy and boundaries. Surely you remember what boundaries are?" Grell snatched for the William puppet, but William was too fast for him.

Taking a step away from Grell, William said, "Private things are those we wish to keep to ourselves. Usually when something is locked up, it is considered private. That does not mean break the lock keeping it hidden and safe, Sutcliff."

"Why would you need to keep anything hidden from me?" Grell asked with a flutter of his eyelashes.

Again, William ignored him. He reached inside his pocket and retrieved the Grell puppet. Grell lunged for it. William sidestepped, and Grell found himself sprawled out on the carpet. He looked up as William barely missed stepping on his hand.

"Now then, clean this up. Return everything to its proper place and don't spend your time looking through my things. If this is not cleaned up by the time I return..." he trailed off as he held up the Grell puppet. Using his death scythe, he snipped the puppet's head clean off.


	6. Puppets

_The Guide to Everything_

_I really love the idea of cleanliness, Ronald and Grell will definitely be learning that one later. Today we get to see a new puppet._

_Chapter 6: Puppets_

"I can't believe he killed my puppet," Grell complained to Ronald as the two of them sat together at a small white table usually reserved for reapers on their breaks.

"I can," Ronald said. "It _is _William, after all."

Grell ignored the younger reaper as he heaved a heavy sigh. "I wonder if he'll make a new one."

"I wonder who makes them," Ronald said. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. No sooner than his heels touched the table did he feel a sharp pain on the top of his head. He yelped in pain and began to rub his head as he looked around the room to see who had hit him.

"Feet off the table, Ronald Knox. You know this." William straightened his glasses, then added, "And don't lean back in the chair."

Grell swallowed his laughter, glad to find himself not in trouble for once. "Will~" he began, "we were just talking about you. Do you want me to make you a new puppet?"

William glared at him as he removed the Grell puppet from his pocket. It was Ronald's turn to suppress a fit of laughter. The Grell puppet's head had been crudely stitched back on with a dark brown thread, leaving a large brown scar around the puppet's neck.

"Poor senpai, your puppet now looks like Undertaker!"

William surprised Ronald and Grell by removing a new puppet from his pocket. The new puppet was a representation of Undertaker, from the top hat on his silvery yarn hair to the scars running along his face. "I think Undertaker looks far better than _that_," William said, feebly waving the Grell puppet as he spoke. "Don't you, Undertaker?" He made the Undertaker puppet nod.

Grell's eyes had widened as he stared at the Undertaker puppet. He was torn between the desire to have the Undertaker puppet, and anger that William would not remake his puppet.

Ronald cocked his head thoughtfully. "Does Undertaker make your puppets, then?" he asked William.

"Where they come from is none of your business," William said, returning the two puppets back to their respective homes. "If you two will excuse me," he said, "I have work to do."

Grell watched him leave, frowning as he did. Then he grinned. "I think I'll just have to make a new puppet in my likeness. It will be adorable!"

With that, he shoved his chair from the table fast enough to knock it over before he raced down the hall.

"Wait!" Ronald called after him. Grell was too far away to hear him groan and say, "William won't take anything from you." Ronald slumped in his chair and sighed. "Well, I tried to warn him."


	7. Sweets

_The Guide to Everything_

_Poor Grell puppet, he gets no love. I do still plan on getting cleanliness as a chapter and including Alan and Eric as well. Each chapter seems to be a little short. I'm wondering if everyone is fine with that? Also, I'm going to try to get Ronald and Grell back to asking questions instead of William butting in, starting after this chapter. Let's see how long that lasts._

_Chapter 7: Sweets_

Ronald walked the busy streets of London, trying to ignore his stomach's rumbling. He was irritated, being forced to work through his lunch break. Lucky for Ronald, or maybe he just wandered over that way, Undertaker's funeral home was nearby. Undertaker himself was outside, cheerfully waving to a young woman who just finished some business with him.

He chuckled to himself, then smiled as he spotted Ronald. "What brings the excitable young reaper this way?" Undertaker asked.

"Work," Ronald grumbled. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat would you?"

Undertaker chuckled and said, "I'll be right back." Ronald waited as Undertaker ducked back into his 'shop'. He returned with several bone shaped biscuits. Ronald did not care what they were shaped like, as long as they were edible.

He had eaten three and was just about to start a fourth when William's death scythe snipped the biscuit in half.

"I was going to eat that!" Ronald said, staring down at the fallen biscuit.

"Ronald, you really need to lay off the sweets," William told him coolly "You don't want this to get larger do you?"

Ronald glared at his puppet likeness, perched on William's hand. "I don't get fat," he told it.

The puppet started to shake its head, but before William or Ronald could even blink, Undertaker snatched the puppet from William's hand. "Oh, look at the little Ronald! How cute~" Undertaker said, putting the puppet on his own hand. He chuckled to himself as he played with the puppet. Ronald himself was trying hard not to laugh.

"I didn't know William liked playing with dollies," Undertaker said with a smirk.

"It is a puppet," William argued. "And the only way to get Ronald and Grell to listen to me."

"Does it really work that well?" Undertaker asked. "Perhaps I should get one made of the young earl and his butler."

"I'm sure William could make you one," Ronald said. "He seems to have puppets for everyone." He then lowered his voice to a whisper and added, "I wouldn't ask him to make you one of _that butler _since he is a demon after all."

William frowned and checked his watch. "I have work to do Ronald Knox, as do you." He held out his hand for the puppet, which Undertaker handed to him with a chuckle. The puppet was soon returned to the safety of William's pocket. Before he left, he added, "I mean it about the sweet Ronald. Every time I see you, you have something sugary in your hand."


	8. Glasses

_The Guide to Everything_

_I apologize if Ronald comes off as stupid this time. I don't mean for him to sound that way. I meant for him to sound like "Eh, glasses are an old timer's thing."_

_Chapter 8: Glasses_

William sighed softly. He was enjoying a well-deserved break. A short one that would not interfere with his schedule too much. A movement he caught out the corner of his eye made him turn. It was only Ronald, but he seemed to have something on his mind.

"Are you busy?" he asked, taking the seat next to William.

"Not at the moment," William replied, his tone wary. Last time Ronald had approached him like this, it had been a trick involving Grell and ladies' make up.

"Good," Ronald said with a smile. "I have a question for you, senpai." He raised his hand and nudged his glasses with a finger. "Why do we wear these anyway?"

William stared at Ronald, wondering if such an obvious, and stupid, question had come from the younger reaper's mouth. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a puppet. His collection appeared to be growing, as the new puppet looked just like Lawrence Anderson, known to all Shinigami as 'Father'. The puppet was even holding a tiny pair of glasses.

"You heard that question too, right?" William asked the puppet. The puppet nodded in response.

Ronald exhaled loudly and rolled his eyes. "I know it's got an obvious answer. We're all very nearsighted, some of us more than others," he said pointedly. "But we've been wearing them for _ages."_

"Why mess with something we know works?" William asked. The Father puppet was not happy. Its little puppet hands rested on what was probably its little puppet hips.

Ronald shrugged. "Well, seeing as how _some _of us are useless when we lose our glasses, and certain butlers have noticed this – hey!"

Ronald leaped from his chair, nearly knocking it over as he raced to catch up with William, who clearly did not want to listen to his question. "I didn't mean it as a personal attack!"

William only glared at Ronald over his shoulder. From the other shoulder, the Father puppet glared too.

"I would just think that Father would have come up with something else by now," Ronald said. "You know, something that would help us see, but not as vulnerable as glasses."

William stared down Ronald. They had reached his office then and William was ready to go inside so he could leave this conversation behind him. "Do you know why we wear glasses, Ronald?" he asked coolly.

Ronald nodded. "I know, I just – "

"Because Father tells us to!" William then slammed the door in Ronald's face. Ronald winced and decided that was as good an answer as any.


	9. Dress Code

_The Guide to Everything_

_I haven't updated in forever, I apologize for that. Been having a few problems on my end. And still have not been able to get new glasses. In my downtime I've been working on a William fic with my OC Annabelle, don't know when/if that will be posted._

_This chapter, or entry in the guide, came from the fact that Grell seems to get away with not dealing with a dress code. It might be optional, but most Shinigami seem to wear dark suits. I so badly want the English translation of The Tales of Will the Reaper in my hands, but they're only doing a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. Bleh. Enough ranting!_

_Chapter 9: Dress Code_

Ronald Knox found himself sitting with Grell and William, watching something he never thought he would see. William sat across from him on that dreary, rainy evening with his William puppet in his hand. Though he had seen that often, Ronald had never seen William make repair work to his puppets before. Ronald watched in near hypnotized awe as William restitched the puppet's hand closed.

The entire room seemed silent, at least until Grell spoke. "Does little William have any more outfits?"

William paused in mid-stitch to stare at Grell over his glasses. "Why would he need other outfits?"

"Well," Grell began sweetly, "he could wear a little pair of pajamas while you cuddle him at night..."

"I do not sleep with the puppets," William replied as he resumed his stitching.

"Do they have their own bed then?" Ronald asked.

William's only response was a slight shake of his head. Grell joined Ronald in watching William mend his puppet, his expression a thoughtful one. William finished his work, removed the needle, and broke off the extra thread. He began to check the puppet for any other tears or damages.

"Do any of the other puppets have clothing?" Grell asked quickly. William did not even pause this time.

"Their clothing is stitched on, it cannot be removed. Why do you care?"

"Aw, Will~ You know you want to play dress up with me~!"

William tucked his puppet into his jacket and stared at Grell. Ronald slowly pushed his chair away, ready to run in case William started throwing things, or worse. William surprised him by saying, "Actually, I do have this..."

Grell's eyes widened in glee as William reached into his pocket. Out popped a new Grell puppet. It was as unloved and rushed looking as the first, but this one wore a dark suit. Grell's face fell. Even the Grell puppet appeared to be sad at what it was forced to wear.

"What is she _wearing_?" Grell demanded, reaching across the table for the puppet. William simply moved out of Grell's reach.

"It," William began, "is following the dress code. It is also _not _being a red eyesore."

"There is no dress code!" Grell shouted, attempting to lunge across the table. Ronald managed to grab a handful of Grell's red coat, though he found it difficult to hang onto him.

"Actually..." Ronald began.

Grell stopped his attempt to snatch the puppet and twisted around so he could glare at Ronald. "You're on _Will's _side?" he demanded.

"The dress code," William began, standing now in order to ensure his safety, "has existed long before you and I became reapers. We are required to wear suits and ties, darker colors preferred as it makes us less obvious.

We've just grown tired of telling you how to dress, since you never bother to listen to anything anyone tells you." With a scowl, William added, "Like correcting your referring to me as 'Will' instead of 'William'."

"You know you love it," Grell began. "And besides, you cannot stifle my creativity!"

"No," William said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I cannot. I've tried, but I admit defeat there."

Grell let out a cry of victory as he took one final lunge across the table and snatched the puppet by the hair. Ronald watched, horrified, as Grell started his chainsaw death scythe and dropped the Grell puppet onto its whirring blade, giggling maniacally the entire time.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Ronald asked, watching as bits of fabric and thread flutter to the ground.

"Why should I?" William asked, watching Grell out the corner of his eye. "If he wants to jam his death scythe, who am I to stop him? Come on, Ronald, we have work to do."

Ronald and William left Grell to marvel as his destructive handwork, until his scythe began to groan and, as William predicted, jam. Grell stared at the tiny bits of fabric stuck in his scythe before looking around for Ronald and William. Both were gone. "Stupid puppets!" Grell shouted.


	10. Paycheck

_The Guide to Everything_

_I've been sick as a dog this week. But I've also been brainstorming ideas, since I do have the time! This one was one of my favorites. _

_Chapter 10: Paycheck_

No lock was able to hold Grell Sutcliff back, not even the one for William's office door. Grell proved this by bursting into William's office with a loud, cheerful, "WILL~! It's pay~day~!" Grell's face went from glee to confusion quickly, as William did not seem to be in his office at first glance.

"Will?" Grell asked the seemingly empty room. Then he jumped in surprise as the William puppet appeared from behind the desk.

"What do you want, Sutcliff?" the puppet demanded.

Grell brushed the puppet aside as he leaned over the desk. "There you are, Will!" he said gleefully. "What are you doing under your desk?"

"I don't feel that is any of your business, Grell," William replied, not looking up but wincing slightly as Grell sat down on the desk. "Get off my desk!" William said, using the puppet for emphasis.

"What are you doing?" Grell demanded again.

William exhaled loudly and muttered something that Grell could not quite understand. Grell asked him to repeat himself, but a little more clearly this time. With a groan, William said, "I've lost my glasses. Are you happy now?"

"Do you want me to find them?" Grell asked, clinging to the desk as he stretched out on the top of it. His feet were in the air and his hair dangled down, hanging over William like an obnoxious red curtain.

"No!"

Grell stuck out his lower lip, even though William could not see it. "Hmph," he said. "You act like you expect me to break them."

"I wouldn't put that idea past you," William said coldly. "Now what do you want?"

"My paycheck."

"No," the William puppet said for William. "Besides, he's gambled it away!"

Grell's eyes widened in shock. "You gamble, William?" he asked in a soft whisper.

"No," the puppet said, "but he doesn't want to give it to you!"

"Just give it to me!" Grell said, his tone now adopting a childlike whine.

"Fine," William said, crawling out from under his desk. Grell had to bite his lip to keep from squealing. William was very attractive as it was, but without his glasses, he was even more attractive. Grell wished he had his camera on him, wanting to take a picture of this rare opportunity, but unfortunately for him, he had left it at home.

William opened the top drawer of his desk and fumbled around inside it. Next to a quite dead looking Sebastian Michaelis puppet was the stack of paychecks. He held the checks a few inches from his nose in order to read them clearly. Around the middle of the stack he found Grell's.

"Thanks Will~" Grell said, taking the slip of paper, rolling off the desk, and bounding to the door. At the door, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want my help?" he asked.

"Just go!" William snapped, throwing the nearest thing he could reach. Grell caught the object he threw with a loud squeal.

"I got the Will puppet!" he said, prancing out the door, waving the puppet wildly over his head. "It's mine now!"

Under his desk, William groaned again. What had he just done to that poor puppet?


	11. Puppet Care

_The Guide to Everything_

_I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter! I'm not sure how long Grell will have the William puppet for, so let's see how long it lasts._

_Chapter 11: Puppet Care_

William was still furious with himself. It had been days since he had thrown his puppet at Grell. Days since he had seen his little cloth self. There was no telling what Grell had done, or was planning to do, to the poor thing. Come to think of it, William wasn't sure he _wanted _it back.

He did have a few other puppets: his Ronald puppet was still in great shape, as was the Father puppet. No one had even seen his Eric Slingby or Alan Humphries puppets. His Undertaker puppet was still in his pocket. He also had several others locked in a drawer at home. The only other puppet he had with him was a puppet of himself. This one was ready for bed, in his striped pajamas and little night cap.

While cute, he was not dressed to teach Ronald and Grell anything.

Lost in thought, he did not realize Ronald was trying to get his attention until he felt the younger Shinigami pulling at his sleeve. He looked nervous.

"What is it, Ronald?"

Ronald glanced around and then leaned closer to whisper, "Grell has your puppet."

William could only sigh. "I know," he admitted. "What sorts of vile things is he doing to it?"

"He's got it pinned to his jacket, and he's claiming you gave it to him."

"I _threw _it at him. There's a difference!" Ronald winced as though he expected to be whacked over the head for telling William this awful news. "Where he is?" William demanded.

"Follow me."

Ronald led William to Grell, who had commandeered a bench and was playing with the puppet, humming a tune as he did. "What do you think you're doing, Grell Sutcliff?"

Grell looked up at the sound of William's voice. "Why, playing with the best present you've ever given me, of course!" William reached for it, but Grell managed to wiggle out of William's reach. "You gave it to me! You just can't take it back!"

"You're not even taking care of him properly!" William snapped back.

"Oh?" Grell asked. "And how did _you _take care of him? Because I did let him sleep on my pillow." Grell giggled at that.

"You don't pin him to your jacket, for one thing!" William snapped, ignoring that flirty tone that had found its way into Grell's voice. "That leaves pin holes in him!"

Ronald, completely ignored by the two of them, settled down on the other end of the bench to watch. He didn't realize how attached William seemed to be to his puppets. He did, however, expect Grell to win at this exchange, though he would not tell William that! He had to wonder, after the puppet had been in Grell's position, why William would even _want _it back.

"Don't tell me you have a little bed for them!" Grell was saying.

"I have nothing of the type!"

"And do you wash them each day?" Grell asked, smiling in a teasing sort of way.

"Of course I wash them each day. Do you wash _yourself _each day, Grell?"

Grell, almost as though he expected William to try to snatch the puppet away from him, suddenly tucked the puppet down his shirt. William's eyes widened in horror. "Is _this _appropriate puppet care?" he asked with a wink. "Want him back? You've got to come get him!"

Ronald looked quickly from Grell to William and back again as though he was at a sporting match. Grell, in his usual fashion, just took things a little too far. When William merely turned on his heel and stomped off, Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. He had fully expected to be forced to pick up Grell, piece by piece.

Grell giggled to himself as he removed the puppet from his shirt. "Guess he doesn't you that badly," he told the puppet. "Maybe I should make a Grell to go with you."

Ronald gulped loudly. If William was unhappy with Grell having the William puppet to begin with, he would be furious at Grell for making a Grell puppet to go with him!


	12. Seahorse

_The Guide to Everything_

_It's been a while! I have not forgotten this, just was not quite sure where to head just now. This chapter was inspired by someone close to me and some very odd fan art. Enjoy!_

_Chapter 12: Seahorses_

William leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Sitting on his hand was a new William puppet. To him, it even looked better than the old puppet. But the fact remained that Grell had the original. The fact that Grell owned something of his, and in his likeness to boot, made William furious.

But he was more furious at himself, as it had been his own fault that Grell obtained his puppet in the first place.

William was so deep into his thoughts that he did not hear Grell approaching until Grell had thrown himself at him. "Ack!" William yelped as the redheaded reaper's arms went around his neck. "Get off me, Grell. _Now!"_

"William, I wanted to show you something," Grell said, releasing his beloved William. He began to wiggle in excitement.

"And you had to practically kill me to do it?" William demanded.

Grell chose not to answer that. Signs of affection did not mean death, after all! Instead, he reached into his pocket and removed the original William plushie. William stared at it in horror. It was wearing some sort of costume, one Grell obviously made himself and was quite proud of.

"He's a pretty seahorse, yes he is!" Grell exclaimed. "Do you love it? I made more as well. Little William can be a seahorse, a kitty, a handsome butler, a – "

"Grell, you are aware that male seahorses give birth, aren't you?" William said. He pushed his glasses up and began to massage the bridge of his nose. Why that fact bothered him, he was not quite sure.

Grell paused in mid wiggle. "What?" he asked dully.

William snatched for the puppet, succeeding only in grabbing the seahorse tail. Grell may have been stunned by that information, but he was not going to release the puppet so easily. "Give it to me or I will make you eat this!" William shouted.

Grell scurried out of William's reach, then turned back and blew him a kiss. "You have to catch me first, Will~!"

William threw the tail on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. It seemed like drastic measures were in order.


	13. Burglary

_The Guide to Everything_

_I have had so much on my plate here lately that I have not had time for anything! I have finally managed to just chill out and post something. I think this month things should calm down for me. I have plenty of things in mind, including this, more Korra fics, more William and my OC Annabelle fics, and a few other things too. But let's get back to this shall we? Will, are you going to get your puppet back? Let's find out!_

_This chapter, yeah, it got a little naughty sounding at some parts!_

_Chapter 13: Burglary_

William knew what he had to do. He had decided earlier in the day to do what was needed, but it was getting harder to do it. Though a part of him was trying to talk him out of it, William found himself in front of Grell's door late one evening.

He knelt down in front of the door, the tiny voice in his head silently praying that Grell would not be home. Using a simple pin he unlocked the door. He pushed it open, glad to hear absolutely nothing. If Grell was home, he was probably asleep.

William quietly shut the door behind him, then winced at the sight of all the red furnishing the simple room. "Just do what you need to do and leave," William whispered to himself. He quickly clamped a gloved hand over his mouth, the thought of Grell hearing him almost enough to make him turn back.

Almost.

He crept down the hall, trying to be as quiet as possible. He would begin in Grell's bedroom. That would be the most likely of places. And he wanted out of Grell's apartment as fast as he could.

William found Grell's bedroom and exhaled loudly in disgust. Not only was nearly everything red, but Grell himself was fast asleep. In a silky, red woman's nightgown. Nothing would erase that image from his head. Well, he was there, after all. There would be no going back.

William crept over to the bed and began to rummage through the assorted items on the nightstand. He also vowed to himself to burn his gloves when he was done. It was not there. Neither was it in the drawer of the stand. As he shut it, it made a small thud. Grell rolled over in his sleep, kicked a little bit, and settled down.

_'Of course,' _William thought, eying the object of his search in Grell's hand. The William puppet, looking a little worse for wear but still recognizable, stared up at its true owner. William gently eased over Grell and touched the puppet. Before he could grasp it, Grell grasped him.

"William?" Grell mumbled sleepily. William held back several words that had barely crossed his lips in his lifetime. Grell blinked once, twice, then perked up immediately. "William, did you decide to kiss me good night~?" he cooed, pulling William closer to him. "Or are you looking for _something else?"_

"I came for my puppet!" William snapped, whacking Grell over the head with his death scythe. He took the precious moment that Grell was stunned to grab his puppet. Before he could leave, Grell grabbed his suit jacket.

"Uh-uh! You can't just sneak into a lady's bedroom and expect her to let you get away with it!"

"I was only retrieving my property!" William said, trying to free his jacket from Grell's grip. He briefly considered shedding it, but he knew he would never see the jacket again.

"That's burglary," Grell said. With a flirtatious wink, he added, "Something that deserves punishment!"

"My punishment is seeing you like that," William hissed. He slipped the puppet on his hand and said, "Besides, burglary is the stealing of one's property. It is technically _my _property, therefore I'm only stealing it back. Besides, I'd rather be locked up, the actual punishment for burglars, than deal with any insane sex act you dream up." The William puppet's hands went on its puppet hips as if it also disapproved of Grell.

Grell was momentarily rendered speechless by William's remarks. William took the time to free himself from Grell's grasp, then hurried over to the window. "By the way," he added as he unlocked his escape route, "I know how you think. You're going to tell everyone I was here tomorrow. If I hear so much as one whisper of my being in your bedroom," William's gaze flicked to Grell's long red hair, held back in a braid, "I'll shave you."

Grell yelped and grabbed his braid. He watched William leap from the window with mixed feelings of fear and longing. William, on the other hand, removed the puppet from his hand once he landed on the street. It really needed a bath. Perhaps two.


End file.
